When Gods House
Becomes an Abode of Terror
Than God has to delete the file
Rectify the error
radicalism
dessiminating hatredness
anti Islam
children who come to study
men women
toting guns
Islamic Truth Brotherhood
standard bearer
destroying
Allah s name
in a Reign of Terror
photo courtesy Nd Tv..
Islamabad, July 3 (Xinhua) The chief cleric of the controversial Lal Masjid here Tuesday declared jihad after an exchange of fire between students and Pakistani security forces, Dawn News channel reported.
He also ordered Lal Masjid militants to launch attacks on forces.
Witnesses verified that Lal Masjid militants destroyed some posts set up by government security forces. Some government buildings were also under attack from the religious students.
At least three policemen were reported injured after Lal Masjid students exchanged fire with security forces.
Hundreds of students took to the street in protest, chanting pro-jihadi slogans. Security forces opened fire that triggered retaliations from the students.
Pakistan had Monday deployed more forces near the mosque to tighten security around it, Dawn newspaper reported Tuesday.
The move has brought the total number of Rangers deployed around the mosque to 1,500, with 500 police commandos in support.
The newspaper, quoting informed sources, said the authorities of the mosque have also reinforced security of its brigade, which is equipped with advanced weapons and wireless systems, and threatened to raid more massage centres in the city.
–Xinhua
ISLAMABAD: Parents and close relatives of the students of Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Faridia on Wednesday criticised Lal Masjid chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz and his deputy Abdur Rashid Ghazi for endangering the lives of their children in the name of jihad.
Talking to Daily Times, the concerned parents said they would never allow their children to return to the madrassas run by Lal Masjid and opposed the two clerics’ declaration of jihad.
A large number of parents and relatives were seen waiting at Aabpara bus station on Wednesday to take their children back to their hometowns. They were asked to contact Aabpara police station to facilitate contact with their children.
Students started coming out of the madrassa by midday and they numbered over 800 by evening. The government facilitated their meeting with the parents and arranged buses and coaches to safely transport them to their respective homes.
Thirty-five buses had sent over 290 males and 82 female students home by evening. Officials said each student had been paid Rs 5,000, as announced by President Musharraf, adding that any students who had surrendered to the security forces were not arrested.
The students who surrendered were unsure of the exact number of students still in the mosque. One female student said the mosque administration was imparting training for jihad to the remaining students. However, she added that female students were not forced to participate in the training.
“We would never let anyone use our children for vested interests,†said a parent, adding that he would never allow his daughter to return to Jamia Hafsa. Another parent said the declaration of jihad by the mosque administration made no sense, while a female student’s brother said if anyone wanted to participate in jihad, they should join the people fighting in Kashmir.
Agencies add: A female student told Geo News that 6,500 to 7,000 female students were still in the madrassa.
Several parents termed the government action just and one Qari Liaquat Ali said the government should be praised for exercising restraint. He said the madrassa administration had not allowed him to retrieve his daughter before the operation.
A 17-year-old student, Raheela, said many female students were being forced to remain on premises and were being used as shields. “I came here for religious education but the brand of Islam propagated by the administration was horrendous,†she added.
Several students said they would never return to the madrassa, even if conditions return to normal. “Though jihad is good, we are not here to fight,†said Zabia, a young student from Jamia Hafsa.
A top-level government official, on condition of anonymity, told APP that male students were being detained for questioning before they were allowed to depart while female students were being released into their parents’ custody promptly.
www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C05%5Cs…
Lal Masjid cleric in Pak military net
4 Jul 2007, 2310 hrs IST,PTI
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military personnel surrounding the Lal Masjid here arrested Maulana Abdul Aziz, one of the two radical clerics of the mosque, when he tried to escape wearing a burqa on Wednesday, Dawnnews TV said.
Aziz, along with his younger brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi, was leading the militant students of the madrasas run by the Lal Masjid in their standoff with the government.
Chief Police Commissioner of Islamabad, Tariq Pervez, confirmed Aziz’s arrest, saying that he was captured when he came out along with several burqa-clad women.
His identity was established during the screening, he told reporters here.
Aziz tried to sneak out in burqa when the troops guarding the area permitted 50 odd parents of students holed up in the mosque to go in to persuade their wards to surrender.
His arrest could perhaps help the government to end the stand-off as he could be effectively used to negotiate the surrender of the rest of the several hundred heavily armed militants headed by his brother Ghazi and holed up in the mosque.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Lal_Masjid_cle…
Posted by photographerno1 on 05 Jul 2007
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